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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stand — to bear
  7. drill — a practice
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. row — a line
  11. file — a tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. drill — army training
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. game — a match
  17. file — a document
  18. row — to paddle
  19. staff — employees
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. branch — a division
  22. drill — the tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com